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Emergency response exercise drills will be taking place at Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport in Keahole on Thursday, Nov. 16, 2017, as the airport will serve as the staging area for the Triennial Aircraft Disaster Exercise.

The exercise is a mandatory certification requirement by the Federal Aviation Administration, which tests airfield disaster preparedness and response by simulating a full-scale aircraft emergency disaster. The exercise tests and evaluates the operational capacity of emergency response in a stress environment.

Aircraft Rescue Firefighters cart a simulated victim to the triage area as part of the Triennial Aircraft Disaster Exercise. HDOT Photo

The multi-agency exercise from 8 a.m. to noon will utilize student and teacher volunteers from the West Hawaiʻi Explorations Academy who will act as injured passengers.

Flight operations will continue as normal during the exercise with no impact to scheduled flights.
HDOT alerts the public there will be realistic scenarios portraying injured people on the airport property and may include fire, fire suppression, rescue, triage, treatment and transportation using emergency response vehicles.

The mainland-based company Aerial Banners North has been flying aerial banners over Oahu in violation of Honolulu’s ordinance banning aerial advertising, while ignoring citations from the Honolulu Police Department. The company has argued that its FAA certificate of waiver preempts the Honolulu ordinance and allows it to fly aerial banners over Oahu. In Washington, DC this week, Senator Schatz reached out to the FAA at the request of Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell and received a written response that the Honolulu ordinance prohibiting aerial advertising remains valid.

“This is great news for Oahu residents who don’t want to see their skies cluttered from mainland companies. One of the things that makes Hawai‘i beautiful is that we have well-thought out rules governing signage,” said Senator Schatz. “This letter from the FAA makes it clear that this rogue company is violating our law and we expect and hope that this clarification will cause them to stop what they’re doing.”

In the 2002 case of Skysign International, Inc. v. City and County of Honolulu, 276 F.3d 1109 (9th Cir. 2002), the Ninth Circuit ruled in support of Honolulu’s view that its prohibition on aerial advertising is not preempted by federal law. The FAA confirmed in writing today that the precedent from the Skysign case remains the FAA’s position and that Honolulu has the right to prohibit aerial advertising.

The twin-engine Comanche airplane that crashed outside the Hollister Municipal Airport this morning had been taking off for Hawaii, and the 300 gallons of fuel in the aircraft left local officials with an environmental cleanup at the site, said Airport Manager Mike Chambless…